Henry Verlin Philpott
Aviation Machinist Mate, Petty Officer 1st Class, SN 2875379
Born: 10 October 1922 in Corbin, Kentucky
Died: 17 June 1945 in Makassar Straits, Indonesia
Served in U S Navy 4 years and 2 months
Verlin enlisted in the U S Navy on 1 April 1941 and went to Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL for training. In December 1941 he was at Kaneohe Bay NAS when the Japanese were attacking Pearl Harbor. He was commended for his heroic actions saving fellow men when the Japanese also attacked Kaneohe Bay NAS. He was deployed to the South Pacific in early 1945 as part of Combat Air Crew, CAC #13, in Patrol Bombing Group, VPB 111.
Verlin’s last mission was part of the crew in PB4Y-1 #38913 flying on June 15, 1941 from the Philippines on a patrol mission to Makassar Straits in what is now Indonesia. According to an allied prisoner held in the city of Makassar, the plane made several runs on the shipping area and industrial targets before being hit by anti-aircraft fire. Another burst of anti-aircraft fire registered directly in the pilot’s compartment and instantly the plane went into a steep dive and plunged into the bay. When the PB4Y-1 #38913 did not return to the Philippines on 16 June 1945, they were listed as MIA. On 17 June 1945 three special searches of the area of the lost aircraft produced no evidence of the aircraft or the crew. After 12 months as MIA he was declared deceased by the Navy on 17 June 1946.
Verlin was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in September 1946 and the Air Medal with two Gold Stars for meritorious achievement.